During neurosurgical and other medical procedures, as well as for critically ill patients, monitoring brain oxygenation is a difficult but important task. One way to determine this oxygenation is through monitoring the amount of oxygenated blood returning from the brain through the internal jugular venous system. Monitoring the jugular venous oxygen saturation level can give an early warning of hypoxia of the brain. An oximeter catheter can be introduced through a catheter placed in the patient's jugular vein to continuously monitor the oxygenation of this blood.
Currently, catheters for measuring jugular venous oxygen saturation are inserted into the jugular vein in a cephalad (toward the head) direction, and the oximeter catheter can be introduced through this catheter to access the, jugular bulb. This differs from the regular method of access to the central venous system by anesthesiologists or critical care physicians, which is in a caudad (toward the feet) direction. Monitoring of blood oxygenation by accessing the blood using the caudad technique is not accurate since blood coming from the brain into the jugular vein mixes with blood from the head, neck, and upper extremities. On the other hand, a cephalad insertion directly into the jugular bulb is a complex and time-consuming procedure, with complications being possible. In addition, if there is a need for access to the central venous system, a caudad catheter may need to be inserted alongside the cephalad catheter to function as a regular central venous line. Such double catheterization may cause patient discomfort or trauma and a greater potential for infection.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus of an intrajugular catheter which is inserted by the conventional caudad method of jugular vein access but which also allows access to the jugular bulb.